Chapter 26

For the second time, Modo found himself slowly blinking his eye open to strange surroundings. Only this time - thank goodness - he found himself in the safety of a warm hospital room. How he got here was a foggy blur, with only vague memories of the rescue team finding him and Ashlin and then rushing them here to the hospital. A team of doctors and nurses had run a few scans, done a few tests, then gave him something that would put him to sleep before starting on his shoulder. He'd slept ever since.

When his head cleared enough to look up from his hospital bed, he saw Deichan-ma'am sitting at a desk in the corner, quietly working at a computer. She smiled when she saw that he was awake and hopped to her feet. "Everything's fine," she told him, sounding relieved. "No toxins got into your bloodstream, and we were able to treat your shoulder and repair your arm without much trouble. I'm kind of upset about the added damage to your skull injury, though," she added, fingering his eye socket with a frown.

He felt a faint sting, but nothing he couldn't handle. "I'll survive," he assured her with a sleepy smile. Deichan leaned a little closer as she continued to softly inspect his eye. As she did, Modo felt his nose twitch. It was faint, but she smelled awfully...good.

Her nacre eyes suddenly glanced at his face. She drew back, looking embarrassed for some reason, and hurried back to her desk. Modo's body felt heavy and tired and he was tempted to go back to sleep, but he forced himself to sit up. "Where's Ashlin?"

"In the next room," the petite doctor instructed, pointing.

Moving too quickly made his head swim, but Modo got up and hurried out into the hallway anyway. In the next room over, Ashlin was perched on the edge of a bed, absently kicking her bare feet. Her face lit up when she saw him, and she hopped down and dashed forward to throw her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're okay," she exclaimed as she squeezed him so tight he felt a rib pop. "I was so scared!"

Modo's smile was soft as he rested his hands on her arms. "I'm fine, darlin'. I'm just fine. You?"

Ashlin glanced down over her shoulder, though only for a second before resting her head on his middle again. Modo followed her gaze and saw the pale brown flesh of a brand new tail trailing behind her, regrown in a matter of hours from the remaining tissue. There was a pinkish undertone that hadn't been there before. "How's it..."

He trailed off. A nurse was changing the sheets of the other bed in the room, and she was not-so-discreetly watching them, an amused smile on her face. Modo cleared his throat and slid his arm around the slender Martian's shoulders. "Come on. You clear to get out of here?"

"Absolutely. Let's go."

They both grabbed their boots and the rest of their things, and then she returned her arms to his waist and kept them there as they left the hospital together, heading for the quiet of the park. As they sat on a bench together, Modo absently felt for the shell still in his pocket, glad that it hadn't been damaged. "How's it feel?" he asked softly.

Ashlin let out a quiet laugh as she touched her fingers to her tail, resting next to her on the bench. "Kind of funny, really. Even after they mastered regrowing lost limbs and all that's in them, they never figured out how to stimulate hair growth, so I have to wait for it to grow back. It's kind of cold."

Modo couldn't help giving his head a small shake of amazement. "Can't believe you did that for me."

Laughing again, Ashlin shrugged. "It was nothing."

"Nothin'?" he echoed dryly. "It was a body part."

"An extraneous one," she said, shrugging again.

Maybe so, but that organ operated like an extra hand or a foot to a mouse, and he knew that most would have had a hard time deciding between those three, if they had to choose. Even if they knew they could grow it back in a hurry. Eyes on her lap, Ashlin absently fingered her tail again. "It's not important," she said softly. "Not like your life. I'd do it again if I had to."

Modo felt something inside him break. Something he had suspected might break and had been quietly waiting for it to for a while now. With his left hand, he gently moved her fingers aside as he cupped her tail with his right. Ashlin gave him a shy, uncertain look - and drew in a startled breath as he brought her tail to his lips.

It was pebbly and a little coarse, even without a layer of hair, but Modo kissed it anyway. He kissed and nuzzled and rubbed his face against it, wanting to let her know just how he felt about this part of her - about all of her.

Ashlin was gaping at him, one hand clenched near her mouth. "Modo, what-"

He gently let go of her tail after bestowing one final kiss and reached for her hands. He nuzzled her fingertips for a moment before pressing feather-light kisses to her curved claws, making sure he didn't miss a single one. Ashlin drew in another shaky breath; she was struggling not to cry. "I-I..."

She was at a loss for words, and honestly, he didn't want any talk right now. He just wanted to hold her, and hold her he did, wrapping her in the protective circle of his arms. He nuzzled her face, the softness of her thicker fur. Her cheeks grew damp as tears trickled from her eyes; he tenderly kissed them away.

Exhaling slowly, Ashlin grappled for him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. With his fingers coiled in her thick hair, Modo rubbed his nose against hers for a moment. "I think you're the bravest, most amazin' thing I've ever met," he told her in his softest voice. "And anyone who can't see that is an idiot."

Ashlin squeezed her eyes shut as she bit back a sob; Modo tightened his hold on her delicate form just a little more as he cupped her head in his hand. Ashlin let out a quiet sound, her arms tightening around his neck with a shiver as his mouth found hers.

Modo felt a shiver of his own ripple through him. It had been a long, long time - and for her it was probably her first, so he made sure to take his time, keeping it soft, slow, and sweet. He brushed his nose against hers between kisses, reveling in the soft shape of her mouth, her subtle, natural scent, the feel of her teeth grazing against his.

Ashlin pulled away first, resting her head on his shoulder as she took a moment to catch her breath. Then she was cupping his face, kissing every inch of it as her teary eyes gazed at him with a hint of awe - like she thought he was something beautiful. And in that moment, he knew that was how she saw him. "I love you, Modo," she whispered, sniffling.

Modo tugged her closer, kissing her cheek before pressing his face in her soft hair. "I know you do, darlin'," he murmured. "And I love you back."

With a rapturous sigh, Throttle fell back against the pillow on Tamerin's bed. "Now that was the best sex ever."

Tamerin let out a laugh as she curled up at his side. "Are you going to say that every time we make love?" she asked, eyes dancing.

"Yes," he said seriously. "Or at least until you stop topping yourself."

Snickering, Tamerin wrapped her arms around him and kissed his face before resting her head on his shoulder. Throttle loved the way she looked at him when they were together, the way she reveled in his touch, in just being close to him. She tightened her arms and legs around him like she couldn't bear letting a single molecule come between them, and as she cuddled against him, brushing her face across the fur of his chest, he got the feeling that she'd love to lose herself in him.

With a quiet sigh of contentment, he drew his fingers through her thick hair, trailing the fingertips of his other hand down her soft face. "I'm sure you're already aware of this, but...you're beautiful."

Tamerin laughed softly as she rested an elbow on his middle and propped her head on her hand. "I know. It's kind of hard not to be around here."

"Does that ever get boring?" he wondered.

"Has been for ages. We at least get a lot of variety where our coloring is concerned, but when we look at other worlds where the people actually age and have a much wider variety of looks, it's kind of unimpressive."

She gave a shrug, luminous strands of white hair spilling over her shoulders. "Honestly, we don't give our looks much thought," she mused, as Throttle absently drew his fingers through her hair again, letting the silken strands slip through them. "Especially when other races are so much more interesting, visually speaking. But when we fall in love that changes - then the object of our affection becomes the most beautiful thing in the universe."

"And that's how you see me?" Throttle asked, as her eyes drunk in the sight of his face.

"Exactly."

He let out another sigh and cupped her face, brushing his thumb over her soft lips. "I dunno, Tam," he said. "For a minute I worried that falling in love with you might take time, but you're making it awfully easy."

In fact, he was pretty sure he already had, a little. Tamerin must have sensed this, because he felt a swell of emotion from her as a smile spread across her lips, just before she leaned closer to kiss him. He wasn't touching her with his antennas, but he didn't seem to need to anymore. When they were this close, her strongest emotions hummed through him. It surprised him how quickly this connection had been made between them...but he hadn't forgotten how Jayce said the connection was made through both time and contact.

And they were in a lot of contact that first night together, not to mention ever since they came back to her apartment from the hospital. He'd lost track of time since then, but he was pretty sure they'd lain here for hours, alternately lying lazily together and giving in to passion.

As their kisses turned heated, Throttle suspected they had done enough of the former and were ready for the latter again. Moaning, he pulled her against him, her body lying flush against his. Their mouths continued to dance as he drew his hands up and down her back, snugging his tail around her waist as he rolled them over, resting his weight on his arms as he settled his lower half comfortably between her legs. Her feet slid up to the small of his back, rubbing his rear and the base of his tail as her thighs opened, welcoming him eagerly...and that was when her communicator beeped.

Throttle let his head drop to her forehead with a grunt. "Crap."

He was both annoyed and amused - but then he felt Tamerin's trickle of fear a second before he saw it in her eyes. "I don't want to answer that."

Of course she didn't. Not after what happened the last time someone interrupted them.

Throttle quickly cupped her face in his hands, kissed her deeply, then nuzzled her nose. "I'm not going anywhere," he vowed. "Not ever. Here-feel free to pin me down."

As he spoke, he rolled over onto his back again, letting her straddle him. Tamerin still looked doubtful...but then she glanced down, eyeing their nether regions as she reached for her wristband.

Was she actually going to ride him during the conversation? Kinky.

He was a little disappointed when she scooted forward and settled on his stomach instead. "Make it quick," she said, not bothering to sound polite this time.

There was a pause. "It's me," came Deichan's shy, quiet voice. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but...well, the General is here at the hospital and she wants to see you right away."

This time Throttle felt a trickle of irritation, which matched Tamerin's stiffening posture nicely. "You think the General would remove me from active duty if I told her to go screw herself?"

Deichan made an odd sound, like she was torn between laughing in embarrassment and being horrified. "I couldn't even tell you. Not when she's..."

She trailed off and went quiet for a moment. "Listen, I can tell that you don't want to be bothered right now, but please come here. It's important in ways I can't even say."

There was a quiet beep as the doctor cut the connection. With an angry grumble, Tamerin dropped the communicator and got up to grab her clothes. Throttle felt disappointed - and a little cold - to have her leave him...but he felt her apprehension more. As he sat up, he absently wondered if she could feel him without touch now too, or if his antennas were just working like, well, antennas. "I'll be right here when you get back," he promised. "I don't have anywhere else I'd rather be."

Tamerin paused and looked at him. "Better yet, you can come with me," she suggested. "You're going to have to meet her Generalship eventually, so there's really no point in delaying it."

Puzzled, Throttle got out of bed and reached for his jeans. "I met her," he said. "Well, saw her from a distance a few times. Does it matter?"

Tamerin let out a long sigh. "Yes. She's my mother."

"Oh."

Well, that was different, then. Not to mention frightening.